The public release of footage showing Erin Patterson conversing with detectives at the same table where she served her fatal meal has finally been made available, nearly a month after she was convicted of three counts of murder.
In addition to this, the Victorian Supreme Court has unveiled a second video clip of Patterson getting rid of a food dehydrator, a crucial piece of evidence used in the prosecution of the convicted mushroom cook killer.
Patterson, aged 50, was convicted on July 7 for the murders of her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66. She was also found guilty of attempting to murder Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson.
The jury determined that she intentionally served the four victims beef Wellingtons contaminated with death cap mushrooms at her residence in Leongatha, regional Victoria, on July 29, 2023.
Both videos were presented during the 11-week trial in Morwell.
The initial clip, dated August 2, 2023, captures Patterson disposing of a food dehydrator at Koonwarra Transfer Station on CCTV.
In the footage, she can be seen removing a black dehydrator from her red SUV and placing it in an e-waste bin inside a green shed.
The dehydrator, which was seized by the police from a landfill shortly after the incident, contained traces of death cap mushrooms.
The second video, dated August 5, 2023, depicts Patterson sitting at her dining table with Detective Sergeant Luke Farrell.
In the video, Patterson is leaning on her hand and engaging in conversation following a police raid on her home, during which electronic devices, such as a phone and computer, were confiscated.
Det Sgt Farrell can be heard expressing gratitude to Patterson for her cooperation before requesting her phone and passcode.
She complies and hands over the phone.
Shortly after the guilty verdict in July, the Supreme Court released numerous pieces of evidence that played a crucial role in securing the convictions.
This evidence included photos of leftover beef Wellingtons that were tested by toxicologists after being discovered in a bin at Patterson’s residence.
Additionally, a video showing Patterson leaving Leongatha Hospital shortly after arriving was released, along with images of her at the hospital with a pink phone that police claim was never recovered.
Patterson, who faces the prospect of spending life in prison, is scheduled to appear in court for a pre-sentence hearing later in 2025.
Following the sentencing, she will have 28 days to file an appeal.
